"So this is how it works around here?"

In order to keep the list enjoyable to all, here are a list of small but VERY important rules of conduct. Being on a mailing list is a privilege, not a right and these rules are made to make sure it stays that way. I may sound very negative in this section, but it's necessary to make it clear what is and is not acceptable here to insure a pleasant mailing list environment. These rules can be amended at any time, and any decisions made by myself with regards to disciplinary action is considered final.

Some Basics About The List

Please be aware that mailing lists can generate a tremendous amount of mail, especially when we get REAL chatty. So what do I mean by this? Messages per day can range from none to 25 or more. If the mail load becomes too heavy for you, please unsub yourself. Trust me, I won't take offense. If you're on a server like America Online (AOL), be sure you can handle the mail load and keep your e-mail inbox clean. If mail to you is getting bounced back to me because your box is full, I'll contact you. If the problem persists, I'll temporarily unsub you and ask you to resub to the list when you get the problem rectified. Even if you're not on AOL and your inbox is stuffed to capacity, expect the same treatment. If you're going on vacation, please unsub from the list by sending an unsubscribe message to the majordomo. When you get back, just re-subcribe.

So you’re scratching your head and saying, "I still don’t get what a mailing list is and how it works." Well, we’ve got a handy nutshell explanation of what one is.

Episode Spoiler Space

Not all of us receive the episodes the same time each week, or at the same rate they're released "across the pond" (translation: Atlantic Ocean). If you're going to talk about something that reveals the plot of the episode (i.e. "Well, it turns out that whole interrogation thing was a dream.") or some other mind-blowing revelation (i.e. "I can't believe Garibaldi is actually Franklin's twin brother separated at birth!"), rather than risk being chewed out by your fellow list members, please include at least 20 lines of "Spoiler Space" (it can be blank space or one character on each line) before talking about the episode. This can be 20 lines of blank space or one character on each line. Also note the word SPOILER in the message header.

List Confidentiality

As stated before, Medlab is a private list. In addition, by being put on this list, you agree NOT to forward posts from this list to ANYONE without the poster's explicit permission. This means, no posts from the list showing up on the Newsgroups, the web, AOL Babylon 5 boards, or JMS's mailbox. When list confidentiality is assured, everyone feels free and easy to chat; as it should be. When it comes to list confidentiality, I don't play around. Violate this rule even once and I boot you. Period.

Flames

Not all of us are going to agree all the time. A spirited debate is always good for the mind, body and soul. However, personal attacks aimed at a specific person on this list is expressly prohibited. If you want to rip a person to shreds, spare us the spectacle and take it to private e-mail. That way, you can curse each other out to the fullest and the rest of us don't have to deal with it. Trust me, you do not want to start a flame war on this list, especially since more than a few of us are some of the best flamers in cyberspace if our backs are against the wall. Saying you don't agree with what someone said is one thing, calling someone every name in the book because you don't agree with them is flaming. To reiterate, disagreements are okay, personally attacking someone is not. I do not tolerate flame wars and if one occurs, I'll put it out with the best fire extinguisher I have: I'll unsub all parties involved. Flame once, you get a warning, flame again and you get booted from the list. Start a DS9 vs. B5 or a Trek vs. B5 flame war, and you'll get booted on principle alone.

Racist/Homophobic and General Half-Assed Backwards Behavior

For some folks, this may be a given but when it comes to list policy, I leave very little to chance. There are all kinds of people on this list, and we come in all shapes, sizes, colors and preferences. We all have feelings so please try to be considerate with your posting, even if it causes enough stress to curl your toes. Stating your opinion is one thing (and I know I'm brash as hell about stating mine most days), but outright viciously attacking someone based on their race, gender or sexual orientation is a big no-no and will not be tolerated. If it happens once, you get contacted by me and set straight. If you continue, I boot you.

Copyrighted Material

Please do not post copyrighted material to the list. The last thing I want is to get some call from Time Warner or JMS's lawyers (let them go after the writers of that *other* Sci-Fi show, of whom I am convinced are rifling through JMS's trash for script ideas). Of course you can quote articles, but make sure you include the source. No posting whole chapters of the B5 books to the list, and *please* no sending of binary files to the list. Not every server can handle it and it clogs the list bandwidth. Also, if you want to post fanfiction to the list, please split it up into manageable parts (less than 30 KB). At no time is fanfiction posted to the list to be posted elsewhere without the author's explicit permission. Trust me, we have our ways of finding out.

Have Fun!

This is the primary purpose of this list so be sure that you do. If you don't think you can abide by the rules, the playground over on the USENET newsgroups is always available.

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